Education for Sustainable Development (ESD)
Engaging Faculties of Education
Manitoba 2009
Chuck Hopkins
UNESCO and UN University Chairs
York University
science
Our pressures on the planet have increased with
numbers
14
12
10
6.7 billion (2009)
8
6
4 billion (1975)
4
2 billion (1920)
1 billion (1800)
2
0
500
600
700
800
900 1000 1100 1200 1300 1400 1500 1600 1700 1800 1900 2000 2100
Year
Source: UN Population Division 2004; Lee, 2003; Population Reference Bureau
 Generating great wealth but paying a great price
60
$70 trillion in 2008
50
40
World GDP (trillion
1990 dollars)
30
$10 trillion in 1967
20
$1 trillion in 1900
10
0
500
700
900
1100
1300
1500
1700
1900
2100
Year
Source: CIA World Fact Book
• Great wealth without FCC – Full Cost Accounting
 Biomass of Table Fish (tons per km2)
2000
1900
Source: Millennium Ecosystem Assessment; Christensen et al. 2003
From: Steffen et al. 2004
From: Steffen et al. 2004
Our Student’s Eventual Greatest Challenges
Provide for 50% more people:
using less water
using less land
using fewer ocean food resources
while
tripling the global energy – (carbon free)
addressing new issues as they emerge
developing employable skill sets etc.
The Evolving Concept of
Sustainable Development
•
•
•
•
Global Change (environment)
Globalization (economic)
Human Development (social/culture)
Sustainable Development
Plus concepts of:
• Intergenerational responsibility
• Need verses greed /equity
• Social justice, etc.
Manitoba’s Sustainability Threats
• Environmental certainly but also
• Social issues such as racism, inclusion, equity,
poverty, citizenship, relationships….
• Economic issues such as preparing for the
world of work, managing money and larger
issues such as creating new opportunities…..
• Plus the global issues that face us all.
Understanding EE and ESD
Environmental Education, Population Education, Development
Education, Energy Education, HIV/AIDS Education, Permaculture
Education, Citizenship Education, Democracy Education, Consumer
Education, Media Education, Outdoor Education, Experiential
Education, Workplace Education, Conservation Education, Anti-Racist
Education, Religious Education, Equity Education, Gender Education,
Holocaust Education, Entrepreneurship Education, Horticulture
Education, Water Education, Global Education, Drug Education, Sex
Education, International Studies, Family Studies, Human Rights
Education, Women's Studies, Native Studies, Values Education,
Natural History Education, Vocational Education, Economic Education,
Anti-smoking Education, Conflict Resolution Education, Workplace
education, Disaster Prevention Education, Computer Studies, LifeSkills Education, Recycling Education, Civics Education, Heritage
Education, Community Studies, Multicultural Education, AntiViolence Education, Systems Thinking Education, Futures Education,
Biodiversity Education, Pioneer Studies, Nutrition Education,
Resource Management Education, Self-Image Education, Peace
Education, Leadership Education, Cooperative Education, Character
Education, Sexual orientation Education…………….(100 plus)
Sustainable Dev. and Education (ESD)
• ESD is the potential contribution of the world’s
education, public awareness, and training systems to
building a more sustainable future.
• Thus ESD varies from situation to situation
depending on the local/global environmental, social
and economic threats both current and emerging
Four Major Thrusts of ESD
– Access and retention to quality education
– Reorienting existing education
– Public awareness and understanding
– Training programs for all sectors
Agenda 21 -92, UNESCO -96, UNCSD -98, JPOI -2002
A Question for All Societies
What should our students:
• know,
• be able to do,
• and value,
when they graduate?
UNESCO – Purpose of Education
•
•
•
•
•
To Know
To Do
To Become
To live together
(To live together with “others” sustainably)
Global Awakening –Formal Ed.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Formal education leaders are taking action (CMEC)
Collaboration Regional levels – UNECE, Asia Pacific,
ESD Indicators are being developed
Engagement of core disciplines’ professional
organizations
ESD research platforms being established
New ESD Research Journals
Embedding ESD initiatives mainstream projects
ESD concept linking to ECE, Spec. ED, TVET, Lifelong
learning / adult education
• Manitoba an ESD Leader in Canada
UN Decade of ESD (2005-2014)
• Co-coordinated internationally by UNESCO
• Each country/region to develop locally relevant and
culturally appropriate response
• Formal, non-formal and informal ed. Included
• www.unesco.org/education/undesd
• Key Agents –
Canadian Commission for UNESCO
Environment Canada
Canadian Council of Ministers of Education
UNESCO World Conference on ESD 2009
• 31 March – 2 April 2009,
• 900 participants from 150
countries, 48 ministers and
vice-ministers
• Objectives: to highlight the
contribution of ESD to quality
education; to promote
international exchange on ESD;
to take stock of Decade
activities; to develop strategies
for the way ahead
Bonn Declaration – A Call for Action:
• “Promote ESD’s contribution to all of education and to achieving
quality education”
• “Increase public awareness and understanding about
sustainable development and ESD”
• “Mobilize adequate resources …, in particular through
integrating ESD into national development policy and budgetary
frameworks”
• “Support the incorporation of sustainable development issues
[e.g., climate change] using an integrated and systemic
approach in formal education as well as in non-formal and
informal education at all levels”
Bonn Declaration – A Call for Action:
At the practice level
• “Support the incorporation of sustainable development
issues [e.g., climate change] using an integrated and
systemic approach in formal education as well as in nonformal and informal education at all levels”, in particular
through the development of effective pedagogical
approaches, teacher education, teaching practice, curricula,
learning materials, and education leadership development.
Teacher-educators
• Have broad influence
– Educate next generation of teachers.
– Sit on national curriculum committees.
– Write textbooks for elementary & secondary.
– Invited to give advice to ministries.
– Speak at conferences.
– Publish.
– At local, regional, and national levels.
International Network Formed
• Met in 2000, Canada,
Baseline reports, Agreed to experiment at home
institutions. Set up reporting format.
• Met in 2002. South Africa
Sent in reports and responded to survey.
• Met in 2004. Sweden
Reviewed draft of guidelines.
• Met in 2006 Finland
Establishing regional UNESCO networks
• Met in 2008 Turkey - Launch phase 2
Recommendations: Research
• Create a research agenda to address important
questions, such as the effectiveness of faculty efforts
to reorient education to address sustainability.
• Develop strong arguments backed by research to
submit to academic boards to show that education
for the future that does not include ESD is not an
appropriate education for the future.
Aboriginal Learning Knowledge Centre:
Métis Holistic Lifelong Learning Model
Redefining Success in Aboriginal Learning
Principles of Learning: FN Emerging Model
Harmony and Well Being: Individual and Collective
Purpose

To protect the earth to ensure sustainability of all life.
Principles of Learning

Holistic (physical, emotional, social and spiritual), experience based and
cumulative (life-long)

personal and collective (individual and community or societal focused –
connected to…natural world, language, traditions and ceremonies, self,
family, ancestors, clan, community nations and other nations –
intergenerational – nurtured by mentors, elders, guides, etc.)

natural or organic, integrated, dynamic evolving process with depth in
knowledge (wisdom) emerging as the ultimate outcome

circular (self-generating) and available at all stages of life

promotes responsibility, adaptability and interdependence

respectful of place and the natural order of life

at its core it is culturally based – language based and open to new
experience and knowledge (Indigenous and Western traditions)

can be enhanced or disrupted by physical, social, cultural and political
environment (natural, social, economic and political environments)
Systemic Challenges for both EE and ESD
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
vision and awareness
policy or mandate
society’s expectation
funding and resources
training programs
crowded curriculum
research base
models and exemplars
OECD ESD Problems
• Hard to serve students suffer
• Not seen as relevant to testing – reading and math
• Poverty related issues
• Irrelevant to core curricula
• Technical and vocational ed.
• Untrained staff
• Lack of meaningful equipment
The Need for Hope
Speak of solutions
Our ability to change/survive etc
Age appropriate
Education verses indoctrination
Ministry guidelines
and
Our need to learn by acting and experimenting now
before the worlds poor suffer unbearably!
We will change – but when and how!
Reorienting Existing Education
Currently our most
educated nations
leave the deepest
ecological
footprints
We have ED
systems
for Dev. Rather
Than SD
Reorienting Existing Education
We need more
ecological handprints!!
- From all sources!
www.handsforchange.org
Infusing EE
Means Addressing:
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
Values
Principles
Perspectives
Knowledge
Skills
But again in a context of education
rather than indoctrination
Infusing EE into Existing Education
Means Addressing:
•
•
•
•
Buildings
Program
Practices and actions
What we value and
what we evaluate
• Modeling
sustainability
SEdA Domains
•
•
•
•
Governance: policy, goals, mission
Curriculum, teaching and learning
Human Capacity: professional development
Facilities, operations, procurement
Community: relationships
Commitment: System culture and ethos
Leadership
Prof Dev. Considerations
• Prof development for all employees including leaders
• PD and teacher education institutions
• Capacity building
• Technology transfer for support staff
• Rewarding innovative practices
Ministries and Faculties of Ed
Learning Perspectives
• Traditional – Learning as “acquisition” model
Knowledge, solutions, true/false right/wrong
• Plus – Learning as “participation” model”
complexity, reflexive, reflection, negotiation
• And – Learning as a “response” model”
ambiguity in world, taking charge-life, tolerance,
engagement
high
W
I
C
K
E
D
N
E
S
low
S
U N C E R T A I N T Y
high
Strengths Model:
A Starting Point for Formal ed.
• No single discipline/group/teacher/employee can
do it all
• Every discipline/group/teacher/employee can
contribute something
• Some individuals or sectors can take lead roles in
directing/managing the reorientation
• Leadership and coordination of these “strengths”
are key as we “learn” our way forward
Industrial Arts
Economics
The Arts
History
Literacy
Health
Math
Media Arts
Geography
Energy savings
Science
Family Studies
IN Phase Two - (2010-2014)
Goals
1 - To implement the Guidelines
2 - To develop regional networks
3 - To further refine the Guidelines
4 - To assist in the overarching SD
strategies (internationally - local)
5 – Research into ESD
competencies, impact, contributions
delivery schemes, EfSD vs EuSD